Shades of Titanic…

I’m sure some of you will recognise the iconic Land’s End signpost and many of you have probably stood in that exact spot to be photographed, but for me last week was the first time I’ve holidayed in Cornwall in almost thirty years and my first ever visit to the ‘tip’ of south-west England. More on my stay in Port Isaac later, plus a competition to win a box of clotted cream fudge and your choice of one of my books in the March competition.

But first, thank you to everyone who bought my newest book, The Dilemma while she was part of the Kindle Monthly Deal for February. She enjoyed top 100 positions in the three Amazon ‘category’ charts in which she features and now has in excess of 720 ratings/reviews with an average rating of 4.4 out of 5. Thanks so much if already read and reviewed and if you have yet to read, I hope you will enjoy it.

And there’s more reduced-price news for one of my other books. The Woman on the Beach has been chosen by Kobo UK to feature in their 99 books for 99p promotion which runs from 3^rd – 12^th March (so still plenty of time). As a result of Kobo UK dropping the price, other UK online retailers have price-matched so you can shop from Kobo, Google, Apple or Amazon and get the half-price deal. 

Here are the links:

Amazon: bit.ly/37wc4SO

Kobo: bit.ly/2RXxYdb

Google: bit.ly/3ftewgA

Apple: apple.co/3tRBIKF

February is the shortest month of the year which is probably why there seems to be a lot going on after January seems to drag on a bit. It’s probably helped by having both Valentine’s Day and usually Shrove Tuesday around the mid-point of the month.

I was treated to these beautiful flowers, some Monty Bojangles truffles, and a red elastic hair tie with a heart on it. It was our forty-fifth Valentine’s Day, and my husband, Chris never fails me. Mind you both the flowers and the chocolates are now history, but I have the hair tie in my hair as I’m writing this.

Chris was also responsible for making the pancake batter on Shrove Tuesday, although I did the frying. We always stick to lemon and caster sugar… how do you have yours?

I was also very busy at QVC even squeezing in an extra day on air before heading off to Cornwall for a week away from ‘real life’. Normally at this time of year Chris and I like to head off to warmer climes for a bit of winter sun but neither of us really wanted to go too far from home, so we settled on renting Hillside Cottage in Port Isaac, which is owned by Anouska Lancaster, one of our homestyle guest presenters on QVC.

This is the view from the bedroom window looking out over the rooftops to the harbour and the sea beyond. As you can imagine with a background in interior design, the cottage has been beautifully renovated in Anouska’s unique and colourful style. It was a gorgeous base from which to venture out on our day trips or ‘expeditions’, and boy, have we clocked up some miles!

Expedition 1 was to St Ives. Fellow author, Miranda Dickinson often raves about it on Twitter as does another QVC guest presenter, Glen Campbell, so I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. We were blessed with beautiful blue skies and although a bit on the cold side as you’d expect for the last day in February, it was warm enough to sit on the beach in a sheltered spot to enjoy a lunch of Cornish pasties and a cappuccino. It wasn’t really warm enough for the Cornish ice-cream I later indulged in but the walk from the harbour to Porthminster beach and then back to Portmeor beach, where we had parked the car, clambering up to the top of The Island on the way soon warmed me up.

From there, we drove down to Land’s End sometimes along narrow country lanes where you find yourself praying that you won’t meet anything coming in the opposite direction. Fortunately, as it’s out of season we were lucky in that regard, and it was so worth it for the spectacular scenery along the way and at our destination. I’m not going to lie, it was very ‘breezy’ (read into that windy) but something I’ve now ticked off my bucket list.

Our second day was a bit greyer weather-wise, so we stayed a little closer to ‘home’ in the morning. These steps don’t look nearly as steep as they actually are when you look down on them, but it was worth the climb for the stunning views on the cliff top.

And being able to look down on the perfect harbour and village made the effort worthwhile. We did venture further afield in the afternoon to Boscastle and then back through Tintagel where the famous castle is. I have memories of trekking around it the last time we were in Cornwall when our children were nine and ten, in particular the primitive ‘toilet arrangements’ which horrified our son… if you know, you know! 

I have a pretty good sense of direction, but I must admit it surprised me that I not only remembered the name of the tiny hamlet where the ‘veggie’ guest house we stayed in all those years ago was located, Treknow but also found the place itself down another scarily narrow lane.

Expedition 3 was to the Roseland Peninsula which I’ve heard a lot about and specifically to St Mawes. It’s on the calmer south coast of Cornwall but just as beautiful as the rugged north. I really liked St Mawes and spotted a double-fronted Georgian house that I would love to buy if my numbers ever come up on the premium bonds! From St Mawes we headed to the outskirts of St Austell for a delicious pub lunch with a friend of ours who has recently moved there before we headed back to Port Isaac.

Expedition 4 saw us head back to St Ives again, but we weren’t so lucky with the weather so only sat on the harbour beach long enough to eat our Cornish pasty lunch before heading off to find Porthleven which had been recommended to me by my hairdresser. On the way, we stumbled across Marazion and St Michael’s Mount but only from a distance. That will definitely be a stop off on our next trip to Cornwall – oh yes, we will be going back! 

We had a walk along the harbour in Porthleven and up the hill next to the beach. What struck me most was the sound and the vibration as the waves crashed down on the shore, very different from the sound effects in Port Isaac. The seagull’s cries started every morning just after dawn which explains the provision of ear plugs at Hillside Cottage – I thought maybe Anouska had heard me moan on social media about Chris’s snoring! We headed back via Fowey where a dancer friend of mine used to live… very quaint and ‘smugglerish’ if that’s a word. 

Expedition 5 on our last day in Cornwall took us to Looe, where they are filming most scenes in the new BBC series, Beyond Paradise. To be honest, I was surprised that many eateries in the town were shut particularly as they were a fair few people around. But we found a small café on the harbourside were we enjoyed an afternoon tea for two for our lunch, with the jam on the scones before the clotted cream as is the Cornish way… and yes, I am on a diet now that we’re back until I drop the 2kilos I’ve gained in weight despite all the walking! Not only was the food good at the little café, but we were also made to feel really welcome by the pleasant and helpful staff.

We drove back via Bodmin Moor, so it was only fitting to stop off at Jamaica Inn for a photo opportunity. I’ve always loved the Daphne du Maurier book of the same name which I studied in the 3^rd year at grammar school, today’s Year 9. The vivid descriptions and the hateful landlord, Joss Merlin must have made a huge impression on me as I still remember the story, the locations, and the characters more than fifty years later. Come to think of it and returning to the seagulls in Port Isaac for a moment, maybe that was Daphne du Maurier’s inspiration for her terrifying short story, The Birds. The Hitchcock film was set in America, but I can visualise terrified children being pecked by the birds running down the hill from the Old School House in Port Isaac, which is now a hotel and restaurant. We did eat there one night but not that evening.

I hadn’t realised when I booked the week away in Cornwall that we would be there for St Piran’s Day which is celebrated on March 5^th. How appropriate that I had my Seasalt Cornwall dress to wear for dinner at the Golden Lion Pub another place where I can imagine smugglers gathering in years gone by.

All in all, a lovely break in a beautiful little fisherman’s cottage in the picturesque setting of Port Isaac, so it seemed only fitting that this month’s competition should have a Cornish ‘flavour’. 

To be in with a chance of winning a box of clotted cream fudge and your choice of one of my books you simply need to leave your answer to the following question in a comment below before midnight on 18^th March the day before Mother’s Day or Mothering Sunday whichever you prefer to call it.

What is the name of the television series which was filmed in Port Isaac?

1. Dr Dolittle
2. Dr Who
3. Doc Martin

Simples as the meerkats would say! By the way, congratulations to Donna who won a signed copy of My Mother’s Secret and the chocolates in last month’s giveaway. She has already read the book and left a five-star review AND gone on to buy The Woman on the Beach and The Dilemma. I hope she will love those two as much.

So, my Cornish adventure is over (for the time being). It’s a good job our car is a hybrid with all the miles we covered!

Until next time

Much love

Julia xx